¹⁵The Sovereign Lord, the holy God of Israel, says to the people, “Come back and quietly trust in me. Then you will be strong and secure.” But you refuse to do it! ¹⁶Instead, you plan to escape from your enemies by riding fast horses. And you are right—escape is what you will have to do! You think your horses are fast enough, but those who pursue you will be faster! ¹⁷A thousand of you will run away when you see one enemy soldier, and five soldiers will be enough to make you all run away. Nothing will be left of your army except a lonely flagstaff on the top of a hill! ¹⁸And yet the Lord is waiting to be merciful to you. He is ready to take pity on you because he always does what is right. Happy are those who put their trust in the Lord.

God Will Bless His People

¹⁹You people who live in Jerusalem will not weep any more. The Lord is compassionate, and when you cry to him for help, he will answer you. ²⁰The Lord will make you go through hard times, but he himself will be there to teach you, and you will not have to search for him any more. ²¹If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying, “Here is the road. Follow it.” ²²You will take your idols plated with silver and your idols covered with gold, and will throw them away like filth, shouting, “Out of my sight!”

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